Winnipeg was a great affiliate then we go to Chicago for 2 years which was a disaster. A team much more interested in winning then developing prospects. Now there are rumors that we will go dormant for a year while Gillis thinks about it. The fact that we had more prospects in the ECHL than AHL last year shows how bad our player development has been the last few years.

I think we will end up somewhere but FFS Gillis get your shit together.

Winnipeg was a great affiliate then we go to Chicago for 2 years which was a disaster. A team much more interested in winning then developing prospects. Now there are rumors that we will go dormant for a year while Gillis thinks about it. The fact that we had more prospects in the ECHL than AHL last year shows how bad our player development has been the last few years.

I think we will end up somewhere but FFS Gillis get your shit together.

What in the holy hell are you talking about?

I didn't realize Gillis was responsible for putting the NHL back in Winnipeg.

Interesting side note, allegedly Gillis is responsible for recession!!

Classic Gillis! LMAO...the smartest man in the world, the best GM EVER! According to himself, the legend in his own mind. Nice one, so now we get to see our prospects spend a year, spread apart and around the AHL with different teams which is great for team building. The Players Agent and Gillman just up to their usual antics. The amazing program of developing our kids that Gillis has set in place continues with flying colors.

Can Aquaman please fire the Players Agent and his band of merry men NOW!

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

Hey look RD is back after licking his wounds over his Leafs history making collapse led by 4eimer!

All information once this "story" broke completely killed the underpinnings. It doesn't seem that any insiders at all think the cnaucks will be without a team. If they do then feel free to pile on but that hasn't occurred so I suggest the best course of action is to relax and see what the next 30 days brings. Because, if it does get sorted as most expect it to, it'll almost be like you're a troll or something when it comes to Gillis.

How is any of this news? We've known for a while that Aquaman bought the Rivermen to be a dedicated farm team for the Canucks. It was also made clear that they would be moving that franchise out of Peoria. Unless I missed something nothing has changed there.....

As for this being all on Gillis, I'm pretty sure that Aquaman is going to be just as involved in this purchase and relocation as GMMG will be.

Basically new "news" is that the canucks gave notice to Peoria that they will not be placing the team in Peoria (the city of Peoria is likely to bring in a lower level team to compensate).

That notice got spun into "the canucks WILL leave farm team dormant next season". Instead what it meant was that the canucks have 30 days to find a place for the team or it MAY leave the team dormant. Various insiders and experts have chirped in that it is highly unlikely the team will be dormant. The AHL wants to be at 30 teams. The canucks want their own farm team. etc etc etc. So as I said, wait for the entire situation to play out before jumping on anyone. And as you point out Meds it is hardly a Gillis decision. Pretty sure the guy who actually paid for the team will have given his sign off on the Peoria thing and any resulting complications. If they don't then yes it was a failure but I'm not convinced it falls on Gillis at all.

Winnipeg was a great affiliate then we go to Chicago for 2 years which was a disaster. A team much more interested in winning then developing prospects. Now there are rumors that we will go dormant for a year while Gillis thinks about it. The fact that we had more prospects in the ECHL than AHL last year shows how bad our player development has been the last few years.

I think we will end up somewhere but FFS Gillis get your shit together.

What in the holy hell are you talking about?

I didn't realize Gillis was responsible for putting the NHL back in Winnipeg.

Interesting side note, allegedly Gillis is responsible for recession!!

Since Winnipeg got an NHL team back the team's AHL afiliate has been a mess. In the last few games of the AHL year iirc we had 10 players that were Canuck property in the line-up. Gillis has given lip service to player development then he has us in this crap situation where the Wolves arent helping to develop our players.

The fucking cupboard is incredibly bare. Of the players who played after the lockout who other than Schroeder has even a 50/50 chance of playing in the NHL ? Probably Lack (who was injured most of the season) and who else ? Brad Hunt ? Bill Sweat ?

No wonder we couldnt add much at the deadline we dont have anything to offer.

black ace wrote:Since Winnipeg got an NHL team back the team's AHL afiliate has been a mess. In the last few games of the AHL year iirc we had 10 players that were Canuck property in the line-up. Gillis has given lip service to player development then he has us in this crap situation where the Wolves arent helping to develop our players.

So how is that Gillis' fault? We had a great affiliation with Winnipeg and I'm sure that Canucks would have been happy to continue that.

Gillis is correct about Chicago, that franchise's priority is to win and put butts in the seats. Not develop players for the Canucks. It was always going to be a temporary solution, they were the only AHL team without an affiliation when Winnipeg folded. It was them or have our prospects on several different teams throughout the AHL.

black ace wrote:The fucking cupboard is incredibly bare. Of the players who played after the lockout who other than Schroeder has even a 50/50 chance of playing in the NHL ? Probably Lack (who was injured most of the season) and who else ? Brad Hunt ? Bill Sweat ?

The biggest problem we have is the gap in player ages. We're missing impact players in the 24-25 age group, we really only have Weise and Sestito in that group. Not exactly players to build to team around.

If Gillis can make some moves this offseason to fill that gap he will be doing quite well.

But again how is the Peoria situation Gillis' fault exactly?

I'm sure they have something planned but do not want to release any info until it is finalized. Heel they have already stated, while it may not be the best situation, they may operate their AHL affiliate out of Rogers Arena for a year if need be!

Aaron, you forgot about Jensen, and Kellan Lain is already 23 yeasr old who I am assuming management sees as contributing to the big club relatively soon. Overall, you are bang on in the absolute black hole that is 23-26 year olds on this team. 27/28 year olds are now considered to be in their prime years, and 30 year olds are over the hill, don't forget.

In that age group we have Tanev, Weise, Sestito, Lain (big guy with big question marks) and Archibald. The only guy worth anything to this organization is Tanev (thank you Gillis). This black hole is because the Canucks drafting and prospect development 6-8 years ago was absolute crap. Umm, when did Gillis start again?

I'm one of those who thinks the Canucks lack of prospect depth is overstated. Do we have an abundance of youth coming up the ranks? No, but we do have a handful of promising to very promising young players who are pushing or will be pushing to make the NHL roster next season.

Gaunce and Corrado look like absolute steals. Lack, Schroeder and Jensen look like they will be NHL players. Mallet, Archibald and Lain look like they could push themselves into the bottom six.

Why complain so bitterly about Chicago? The Canucks seem to have known it was a bad situation too - they bought a team to solve the problem - the only other alternative was the situation (no affiliate at all) people are now complaining even more bitterly about.

As for the lack of prospects.. obviously the system is not strong. I think so far Gillis has a couple of good (but not great) drafts in 2009 and 2011 and a couple of poor drafts that are pretty easily explainable (first draft in 2008, 2010 where he'd dealt picks 1-3).. whether people are interested in accepting those explanations/excuses/whatever is another matter of course. Some free agent signings have helped address the depth problems our lack of successful draft picks from 2006-2008 have caused, and that will have to continue, but nothing has added the kind of cheap, talented player with high end potential that a home run draft pick can give you. Obviously those don't grow on trees but finding one (in the draft or free agency) would go a long way for this team.